An Actress' Dream
by TheCatsApprentice19
Summary: Demi's dream is to perform, but she has never been able to make the big time. Could an encounter with one trouble-prone teenager give her the big break she so desperately wants, or even something more? Collaboration with showtunediva and set in her 'Views From a Dust Speck' universe.
1. Meeting a New Friend

**This story is dedicated to showtunediva's co-star Michelle Emmond who always gives her the best advice for play auditions, whose character's name is Zoe.**

Hi Everyone! TheCatsApprentice19 and showtunediva here! We are very excited to be starting this collaboration together, which includes our two OC's, Kirsty (TCA19's OC) and Demi (STD's OC). To make things make sense, this story is set in the universe of showtunediva's 'Views from a Dust Speck', in which Kirsty is sent into a parallel Seuss in the four month gap between Chapter 8 and 9 of my own 'What Really Happened'. To make things easy to understand, it would be recommended that you read all of showtunediva's story and at least up to Chapter 8 of my own.

This chapter was written by the lovely showtunediva (Janine), who will be writing all the odd chapters, while I (Sophie) will be writing the even. This story only plans to be 8-10 chapters long, and we would love to hear your feedback and words of wisdom. We hope you enjoy!

_Disclaimer: We do not own anything Seussical the Musical or Seuss. It belongs to Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Dr. Seuss Enterprise. We only own our respective OC's, and showtunediva owns the names of the mentioned Whoville ensemble characters and the names of the Bird Girls. _

Please R&R!

Sophie and Janine

* * *

**Chapter 1: Meeting a New Friend (Demi's POV)**

Today I was walking down town running some errands when I ran into an unfamiliar person I had never met before. She looked around my cousin Jeff's age, maybe a few years younger.

"Hi. Are you lost?" I asked.

The stranger nodded slowly, making it clear to me that she didn't know me either.

"Are you from around here?"

"No. I'm an exchange student. I've only been here for about a week," she replied, softly, obviously still a little wary of me. Seeing this, I kept talking to her, trying to let her know I was friendly.

"What's your name?"

"It's Kirsty. Just Kirsty. I'm living with Mr. and Mrs. Mayor at the moment."

I smiled, putting my hand out to her. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Demi. Where are you looking to go?"

"The library. Just to learn some history about this place."

"I'll walk with you. I need to drop some books off on my way to the store anyway. Will you need someone to walk you home?"

Kirsty shook her head. "That's very kind of you, but Mrs. Mayor said she would pick me up later."

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Fourteen, though I'm turning fifteen in a few months," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I have a cousin around your age. Do you go to Whoville High?" When she nodded, I continued. "Jeff's a junior, so a few or two older than you. His best friend Randy has a younger sister named Lauren. I will have to introduce you to her sometime."

"Has any of your family been drafted into General Schmitz's army?" I asked her. When she shook her head, I sighed. "Well, Jeff was drafted a month ago. I already miss him. My other cousin was also drafted, but luckily she's too young to fight. She's only 12."

We walked the rest of the way to the library in silence.

* * *

Later that night at dinner, my uncle Charles turned to me. "Demi, how would you like to go a concert this weekend?"

I grinned. "Sure Uncle Charles. Anything to get my mind off of this stupid war. Where is the concert?"

"At the community center. A local jazz band is playing."

"Can Abby and Jocelyn come too?"

"The more the merrier."

Abby and Jocelyn were my best friends. Their siblings have also gone to General Schmitz's Military Academy and going to fight in the Butter Battle.

"I met someone new today," I told them, my mind drifting back to my meeting with Kirsty. "Her name is Kirsty. She's an exchange student, and she's staying with Mr. and Mrs. Mayor and Jojo."

"Really? I didn't know Mr. and Mrs. Mayor were hosting an exchange student?" my aunt Sophia asked.

"Well, that's what I was told. She's only been here about a week."

My uncle nodded. "Very interesting. What's she like?"

"She seems very shy. Not very talkative. Hopefully she makes friends at Whoville High. She's in 9th grade."

"Jeff's friend has a sister in 9th grade. Maybe they've met."

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

Saturday night, I picked up Jocelyn and Abby around 6:15 that night, ready for the concert start at 7:00pm.

"I'm so excited about this concert!" Jocelyn exclaimed.

I grinned. "I am too. I am so glad my uncle suggested this idea. I think it will get all our minds off of the butter battle and how much we miss our relatives who are fighting in it."

My uncle met us on the front steps of the community center with the tickets. He smiled at us.

"You ladies look lovely tonight."

Jocelyn smiled. "Thank you Mr. Daniels. We're looking forward to seeing the show."

We went into the auditorium to find our seats. As I was about to sit down, I saw Kirsty right at the front row.

"Hey! Kirsty! Over here!"

She turned quickly, seeing me wave and came over to me. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight." I told her. "Are Mr. and Mrs. Mayor here too?"

Kirsty nodded. "We're sitting over there." She pointed across the aisle two rows up from where we were sitting. "I would love to talk to you more, but it looks like the shows about to start. I hope you all enjoy your night."

"We will. Thank you!" The lights flickered on and off indicating the show was about to start. "See you at intermission!" I said, as Kirsty went to join Mr. and Mrs. Mayor.

My aunt smiled at me. "She seems very sweet Dem."

I nodded. "She is, isn't she?"

The lights in the auditorium dimmed and the MC emerged from behind the curtain, just as we were taking our seats.

"Good evening Ladies and Gentleman. Thanks you for joining us tonight for this wonderful night of Jazz. Enjoy the show!"

* * *

During intermission, we went into the lobby, where my aunt and uncle found Mr. and Mrs. Mayor.

"Sophia, Charles! How are you enjoying the show?" Mrs. Mayor asked my aunt and uncle.

My uncle grinned. "It's wonderful! This definitely helps us to get our mind off of the Butter Battle. Have you heard from Jojo?"

Mrs. Mayor shook her head sadly. "No, we haven't. We hope to have some news soon. "

"But enough about the war…Have you met Kirsty? She's an exchange student, and she's staying with us for the next few months." Mr. Mayor said, bringing Kirsty over.

My uncle shook his head. "No, but Demi has told us so much about her. Welcome to town, Kirsty."

Kirsty smiled shyly. "Thank you, sir."


	2. Thinking Complexities

**This story is dedicated to showtunediva/Janine's co-star Michelle Emmond who always gives her the best advice for play auditions, whose character's name is Zoe.**

Hello again!

We are now up to the second chapter, which was written by myself (aka thecatsapprentice19/Sophie). It will introduce the situation of this 'parallel' universe and will include a few more cannon characters, and start to flow into the storyline. It would be recomended that you read up to Chapter 8: Not So Alone in the Universe of 'What Really Happened', as some things mentioned in that story may be mentioned in here. I just don't want you all to get confused. This story only plans to be 8-10 chapters long, and we would love to hear your feedback and words of wisdom. Thank you to those who have viewed and favourited. We hope you all enjoy this chapter!

_Disclaimer: We do not own anything Seussical the Musical or Seuss. It belongs to Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Dr. Seuss Enterprise. We only own our respective OC's, and showtunediva/Janine owns the names of the mentioned Whoville ensemble characters and the names of the Bird Girls. _

Please R&R!

Sophie and Janine

* * *

**Chapter 2: Thinking Complexities **

This was way too much to handle.

Kirsty was close to mentally screaming. Everything had been turned on its head in the past week, even from where she had started from, which was anything but understandable. This couldn't be happening? Why was everything completely different from what she had remembered? For a start, Mr. and Mrs. Mayor looked completely different, and didn't know her as their daughter, but as a visiting exchange student. Secondly, the Jojo she knew didn't exist, but a Jojo who was much younger and was the son of Mr. and Mrs Mayor. Other people she had met in the Whoville she had known also weren't to be seen, other complete strangers replacing them. The jungle of Nool she had yet to figure out, but she figured that that place would also be in the same boat; a confusing and almost parallel world.

_This doesn't make any sense…_ she mused, trying to contemplate everything, while struggling to keep calm. _Last week was perfectly normal. Well, as normal as living my crazy life is. Then, next moment, instead of waking up in the Whoville I remember, I wake up in a world that supposedly is Whoville, but everything I know is completely different! What's happened to me?_

"Kirsty? Kirsty!" A loud but gentle voice interrupted Kirsty's mental conversation, snapping her out of her head space. She turned, to see Demi beside her, waving a hand in front of her face. She had met her about a week ago, and even though she was much older than Kirsty, the two had become good friends. They were having lunch at Demi's house, which was a ten minute drive from the Mayor's estate. Her family had longed to see her again, so Demi thought this would be a great chance for everyone to get to know each other better.

She looked back to Demi, who had a worried look on her face. "Are you okay, Kirsty? You've been staring into space all lunch."

"Oh… I guess I haven't had enough sleep as of late." She took a sip of her hot chocolate, trying to put aside her problems. She had told Demi nothing about her human existence, Demi also believing that Kirsty was an exchange student. She hated herself for lying to her like that, but at this point, there was no way she could explain her predicament to her new friend so she would actually believe her, without knowing what was actually going on. "Probably still getting used to everything, I guess."

Her uncle Charles smiled. "So, how has your time in Whoville been so far?"

Kirsty sighed. "It's been okay. A little hectic, but I guess that's to be expect. Mr. and Mrs Mayor have been really welcoming, making me feel like a member of their family." She couldn't help but be reminded of her memory of the Mayor family, and how accepting they had been of her. "Have you got any more news about Jeff and Winona?"

Charles shook his head. "Unfortunately not," he told her, sadly. "We hope to get a report on them both in the coming days, however. I just hope they're coping without all of us. The best we can do is stay positive, and hope for the best for them."

The table was dead silent, before Sophia, Demi's aunt moved to another topic, to try and escape the subject. "So Kirsty, did you enjoy the concert the other night?" she asked. "You had gone before we could ask."

"It was really exciting! I'd never been to an event like that before, so it was a great experience," the teenager told them.

"That's good to hear," Charles commented, before motioning to Demi. "Demi still can't stop going on about it!"

"I absolutely loved it!" Demi took a sip of her coffee before going on. "The style of the whole performance was so amazing. All those flashy costumes and Vegas style dance pieces!"

This interested Kirsty. This style that Demi liked seemed to be similar to what she had seen from Mayzie La Bird, with all the glitz and glamour. Also, those girl birds she had seen when Horton and herself found the dust speck also seemed to fit in with Demi's style. "So something similar to the showgirl style?"

"Definitely! I would love to do performances like that every night, having the time of my life. It would be a dream for me!"

"Hmm…" Kirsty was deep in thought, a plan coming into works. _What if I could try and transport not just myself, but Demi into Nool? That could help me find out more about this parallel universe and how I can get back to my own, while showing Demi the Jungle of Nool and get her to experience the musical feel of that amazing place. But then again, it may not work, and either way could stir up a lot of questions. Would she even trust me?_

Sophia looked up from her lunch, seeing Kirsty's worried expression. "Are you all right, Kirsty? You look a little pale. "

Standing from her seat, she looked to Demi, then to Sophia and Charles. "Would you excuse me for a minute, please?" Quickly, she rushed outside to the backyard.

"Would you be able to check up on her, Demi? I just want to know if she's okay," Sophia told her niece. "If anything happens, tell me and I'll ring up Mrs Mayor to come and pick her up."

Demi nodded, before following Kirsty, who was standing at the far edge of the garden. "You look really pale. Are you positive you're okay? You've been off all afternoon. Is everything all right with you?"

Standing away from Demi, she breathed in slowly, trying to quickly come up with something to say to her. "You wouldn't understand…I'm sorry…"

"Of course I would understand. I'm your friend, aren't I? Friends support each other, no matter what. That's what us Whos do!"

"That's the problem. I'm not."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

Kirsty sighed, turning to Demi. "Listen, there's a lot about me that you don't know. Some which I am still unable to tell you. But there's something I need to do, and I need you to help me." She pulled her necklace out from her jacket, before holding her hand out to Demi. "You're going to have to trust me."

There was a moment of silence, Demi silently contemplating what she should do. Slowly, she took Kirsty's hand, to when the teenager smiled. "Thank you…just close your eyes, and whatever you do, don't let go…" She gripped Demi's hand tight, and with her other hand, she held her necklace.

_For the love of Seuss, please, PLEASE work!_

Thinking as hard as she could, a vision of the jungle appeared so detailed in her mind. Never before had she attempted transporting not just herself, but another person. This was a risky choice. Kirsty's whole body shook, while the colours and buildings of Whoville changed into the greenery and free air of the jungle of Nool.

Demi was the first to open her eyes, almost screaming in shock at the scenery around her. "Where am I? What is this? Is…is this the Jungle of Nool?" Demi asked, observing the surroundings. "How can we be here? I was just…" She turned around, remembering she wasn't the only one who had come here. "How on earth did you do that? Are you-"

Taking in some much needed air, she slowly stood, her legs shaking. "-Yes, this is Nool. But none of that matters now. It's you I'm worried about. Do you feel queasy? Any pain?" When her friend shook her head, Kirsty replaced her frightened expression with a light smile. "That's good, though in a few hours you may get a little light headed. That happened to me the first time I travelled between these worlds."

Demi's head started spinning; this was all so crazy for her to keep up with. "Hold the phone...so, you can travel between worlds? Like that cat does?" When she saw that Kirsty seemed to have no clue what she was talking about, she sighed. "Don't tell me you haven't seen the strange six foot tall cat that literally messed with everyone's existences and makes up all those random but strategically placed musical number? He's the one who sent Jojo here! Well, the boy who is now Jojo. It's all a bit complicated at the moment, but you'll get used to it."

Shrugging out of utter bewilderment, Kirsty muttered under her breath. "This place is even crazier than I first thought…" Dusting herself off, she focused on bigger matters. "Anyway, first things first, I suggest we should…-"Her sentence was cut off, as she started to violently cough, making her double over in pain.

"KIRSTY!" Demi rushed over to her friend, trying to help her. She managed to get her back on her feet, but her coughing didn't improve. Soon, Kirsty found small specks of blood on her hands, which didn't look healthy at all. Wincing, Kirsty tried to control her pain, but with little success. This had to be the result of the world travelling. _How could I be so stupid?!_

Knowing that she didn't have any medical experience, Demi tried to get the attention of somebody, anybody, that might be able to help her. She soon spots two creatures, which both make her gasp in amazement.

"Horton? Gertrude? I must be dreaming!"

They both turned, Demi's guess in fact correct. Horton came over to her. "Yes, I'm Horton. Who are you? I haven't seen you before. Are you all right?"

"My name's Demi," she replied. "I'm okay, but my friend isn't. Please, could you help me?"

Rushing back over to Kirsty, the three helped her walk, before Horton took to carrying her. "What happened to her?" Gertrude asked Demi, who just shrugged in reply.

"I don't have a clue. One moment she seemed fine, and then she suddenly started coughing." Demi shook her head, everything not adding up.

"We should take her to my house for the time being," Horton offered, going ahead of the two. "I have an extra bed, and if we need, there's a doctor just nearby we can go to. Come on."

As Gertrude and Demi watched him go, Gertrude sighed. "Just look at him, he's such a natural hero! And so generous as well…" her eyes suddenly flashed out of their daydream. "D-Did I say that out loud?" she asked Demi, who nodded her head slowly.

Smiling, she whispered to her. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

It wasn't long until the duo arrived at Horton's home, a large hut in the shade of a large tree. After they took Kirsty inside, the three sat by her, chatting softly to wait the time away.

"Jojo…"

Gertrude and Demi's head's whipped around at Horton's remark, his face mixture of gloom and confusion. The two girls had been talking to each other for the past few minutes, Horton staying silent. "She...she kept saying him name…saying that he would know what to do. How does she know the Whos, o-or is this a different Jojo?"

"Well…" She wanted to tell Horton the truth, which was that they had both come from Whoville, but Demi didn't know if that was the best thing. "Kirsty's an exchange student, living with Mr. and Mrs Mayor." The words quickly escaped her mouth, coming out in a bit of a rush. "Jojo went to the General's military academy long before she arrived. She has heard about him, but no, she hasn't met him before, at least from what she's told me. How we got into Nool…t-that still puzzles me. Kirsty seems to know a lot more about everything that what she's told me."

Horton's mouth gaped. "You've come from Whoville? I-I…" His expression formed a wide smile of excitement. "This…this is….I…." he was speechless, as he wrapped Demi in a hug. "It's such a please to meet one of you, in person! You must tell me everything about living on Who!"

A small laugh escaped Demi's mouth, as she was released from the tight hold. "Of course I can! I've got lots of photos as well, and there are some of my family and friends I can show you, if you'd like to see them."

"Thank you so much," Horton exclaimed, overjoyed. "And after that, we can take you on a tour of the jungle, and introduce everyone, can't we, Gertrude?"

The creature in question became suddenly alert, having floated into a daydream while listening to their conversation. "Hu? O-oh, of course! But only if Demi wants us to, that is." Gertrude said, motioning to Demi.

"I would love a tour, but I don't think introducing me to the whole of the jungle would be such a good idea," she told them, before looking back to Kirsty, who was now asleep. "But I think we should wait until Kirsty's well enough before we start anything major."

"Of course we will. And while she's getting better, you can stay with me, if you'd like!" the bird suggested. "It's getting late. How about we go and get you settled in? My house is just next door, and don't worry, it's not very high up."

Seeing Demi looking back at Kirsty, Horton tried to re-assure her. "Don't worry; I'll look after your friend. Trust me, she's in safe hands, and if anything develops, I'll come straight over to Gertrude's to let you know."

"Okay." Having one last glance at her friend, Demi went with Gertrude to her house. She just hoped that nothing bad had happened to Kirsty, and the moment she was better, she would be asking Kirsty all the questions she had, including about her real identity.


	3. Meeting the Bird Girls

Hi Everyone!

A little background before you read this chapter, which was written by me. I was recently in a community production of Seussical The Musical as a Who and Demi is my original character's name. My production had seven bird girls in it. I tried to keep the ages of the bird girls relatively consistent with the ages of my cast mates. This story is dedicated to my castmate Michelle Emmond who always gives me awesome advice on play auditions and her character's name in this story is Zoe. This chapter was recently edited by Sophie (TheCat'sApprentice19) and I feel it flows a lot better than the original version. Sophie and I are having a lot of fun writing this and we hope you the readers are equally enjoying reading it.

_Disclaimer: We don't own Seussical or any of its characters, which belong to Lhynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. We only own our respective OC's, Demi and Kirsty._

Please R&R and we hope you enjoy!

~Janine and Sophie

* * *

**Chapter 3: Meeting the Bird Girls**

Once Demi and Gertrude entered Gertrude's house, Demi was relieved to sit down and rest.

"You must have had quite the trip," Gertrude said.

Demi nodded. "I certainly did. I can't believe I'm in Nool. Much less that Kirsty transported me here."

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'm feeling a little light headed, so orange juice would be great. Thank you." Demi smiled warmly at her hostess, who quickly left the room, to come back shortly after with two drinks.

"So have the other jungle creatures been giving Horton a hard time since he found our clover?"

Gertrude nodded. "Yes. I feel awful for him. Once the citizens of the jungle meet you then they'll see that that Whos really do exist we could find a way for both our kinds to exist together as one."

That's wonderful, but I don't think I can really stay for a very long time. I have family and friends back home," Demi explained. "Also, I don't want to cause too much of a fuss around here. I think I should be keeping a low profile for the time being, to avoid any complicated questions."

Understanding the situation, she smiled gently. "I understand that. You will stay for a few days though won't you? I do get pretty lonely sometimes and you must want to know what this entire world has to offer."

Demi nodded. "Of course. I want to learn my way around the jungle, bring back everything back to Who. It would mean so much to everyone." Taking a sip of her drink, something came to her. "Gertrude, I have to ask you something, why is everyone else being so cruel to Horton?"

"Who knows…?" Sighing, she continued. "I guess it must be a bit too crazy for them to believe, and they don't really understand how he feels about saving you guys. Speaking of Who, how are things in Whoville?"

"Absolutely terrible. So many families have split apart because of the batter battle, not to mention the cutting of the Truffula trees and the rough stability of our entire planet."

Gertrude nodded. "Horton told me about that. It doesn't seem like the war makes a lot of sense. What difference does it make if people eat their bread butter side up?"

Demi shrugged her shoulders. "None of us really understand that either." Suddenly, Demi noticed the loud amount of Latin music that was pulsating her ears. Loudly, she asked her bird friend. "Where in the world is that music coming from?"

"Those girls are going to make everyone else deaf if they keep this up." Shutting the windows, before rolling her eyes, she explained. "Mayzie lives in the tree across from me. She's a lead singer in the most popular girl group in Nool. She lives in this huge penthouse apartment, and shares it with her seven backup singers. They're Zoe, Scarlet, Skye, Orla, Tia, Jessica, and Evie."

"What's she like?"

Gertrude shrugs. "She can be a little obnoxious, but I try not to let it bother me too much. You should see her tail! It's so beautiful, long and colorful. Unlike mine…"

As Gertrude gestured to her one feathered tail, Demi raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with your tail? I think it's lovely!"

"Well, it's just so average and plain. I really want to be noticed... especially by Horton."

That name made Demi stop in her tracks. Was this what she thought it was? "Horton?"

Gertrude looked at her house guest shyly before whispering. "Well, you see, I have feelings for Horton... romantic ones."

Demi's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

Gertrude nodded, looking a tad embarrassed.

"Have you told him?"

Gertrude sighed. "No, I'm too afraid to such a bold thing like that."

"And do you think that having a long feathered tail like Mayzie's will get him to notice you?" Demi asked.

"That's what I'm hoping." She said simply, looking hopeful. On the other side of the table, Demi wasn't so sure about that.

"Anyway, would you mind introducing me to Mayzie and the Bird Girls? They seem really interesting!"

"Sure thing! We could do it first thing tomorrow morning if you'd like."

The next morning there was a knock on the door. Opening it, Gertrude saw that it was one of the Bird Girls.

"Hi Gertrude. I wanted to bring over something for your guest, just a small welcome gift."

Gertrude smiled, giving the girl a hug. "That's so nice of you Tia. Please, come on in, and I'll introduce you to her."

Demi, who had just woken up, looked up from her morning coffee to see a girl bird standing next to Gertrude, who looked about her age.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Tia. I'm one of Mayzie's backup singers. Gertrude told me that she had a guest staying with her, so I bought you some apple cake, just a welcome from us girls."

Demi smiled, standing up from her seat. "It's nice to meet you too, Tia. I'm Demi. How old are you?"

"23."

"Really? That's pretty close to my age." Demi was shocked.

"Wow! What a coincidence." Tia added, sitting down at the table.

"So, I heard you're in a singing group. Who are the other Bird Girls?" Demi asked

"There's seven of us. My sister Jessica is 18. Then, there's Evie, the youngest at 16, Orla, who is 25 and the three eldest girls, Skye Zoe and Scarlet, who is Orla's mother."

Demi smiled. "That's so neat that you all perform together. You must travel all over the place!"

"We do!" Tia replied. "It's so much fun. If you'd like, I could take you over to the penthouse to meet everyone else. Where are you from?"

That question made Demi unsure of what to say next. "I come from Whoville."

Tia's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Demi nodded. "Could you please not tell anyone else? I really don't want to cause a fuss, especially not to Horton. You can tell the other Bird Girls, but please, no one else."

The bird stayed silent for a few seconds, still shocked. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us. But just one thing…how did you get here to Nool?"

"Umm…" Demi definitely didn't know how to answer this question. "I still have no idea on that. It's kind of complicated at the moment, but I know a creature with magical world traveling powers or something around those lines…"

Giggling, Tia smiled. "Seems like a wild ride! Well, I'm sure everyone will be delighted to meet you."

Gertrude nodded. "Let's eat and then we can all go back to the penthouse together."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Twenty minutes later they headed over to the penthouse. Walking through the entrance, Demi couldn't stop gasping. "Wow, this place looks just as big on the inside as it does on the outside!" Demi said, as she looked at all the elaborate paintings on the walls.

Soon, they passed another bird with an orange boa. She smiled warmly at Demi and Gertrude, after hugging Tia.

"Hi Zoe!" Gertrude said, waving to her friend.

"Hello Gertrude. Who is this you have with you? What's your name darlin'?"

"I'm Demi," Demi whispered, in awe of this bird's beauty.

"No need to be shy. We're pretty much like a family here."

"Tia was telling me about how you guys travel all over the place and perform. Do you have any shows coming up?" Demi asked Zoe.

Zoe nodded. "We have a show coming up in a few days, with a new song of Mayzie's as the highlight. It's going to be huge!"

"I thought I heard loud music coming from here last night. That wasn't a performance of yours?" Gertrude asked.

"Mayzie had another party last night." Sighing, Tia gestured across the large space, which was covered in streamers, cups and other remains from what seemed like an interesting night. "She had invited some guys from over the mountain, but then the word got out and everything went crazy. Please excuse the bombsight. We're still cleaning up; that's how insane it got."

"Do you need any help?"

Zoe shook her head. "No. You can just relax. The girl who really needs to be here is Mayzie herself."

"You mean Mayzie isn't here?" Gertrude's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Where is she?"

"If we knew, we wouldn't be dealing with this, would we?!" Zoe looked irritated, gripping her broom tightly.

Tia moved over to Demi. "We have a hunch that she's gone off to Fort Worth, with her new boyfriend she hooked up with last night. Who knows when she'll be back…?"

Demi's jaw dropped "Shouldn't she stay here and help you guys clean up, and get ready for your big performance?"

Another bird girl poked her head around the corner of one of the bedrooms, before answering Demi's question. "One thing you should know about Mayzie is that she's not very responsible. We're surprised she can even keep our performance schedule straight."

Tia smiled. "This is my sister Jessica. She's 18."

"But we have nothing really to worry about. Mayzie would never miss an opportunity to go out and perform," Jessica reassured them. "What brings you to Nool?"

"I come from Whoville."

"Really?" Jessica gasped, before Demi nodded softly.

Tia nodded. "I know! Isn't it amazing? But I promised Demi to not tell anyone else but us girls, so no blabbing this to anyone else. The same goes for the other girls. Okay?"

Zoe and Jessica nodded. "Wow, it's is so crazy, finding out about another world, thinking it wasn't real and then meeting one of their kind in the course of two weeks…" Jessica sighed. "I guess there is life on that dust speck after all."

"Ooh that dust speck." two other bird girls chorused.

Zoe smiled. "These two are Scarlet and Skye. Scarlet's daughter Orla shares a room at the end of the hall with Evie. I'm sure you'll meet them soon."

"It's so nice to meet all of you." Demi told the girls, before Scarlet came over to her.

"Pleasure's all ours." Scarlet smiled warmly.

Gertrude went back over to Demi. "I should probably go back to Horton's to see if your friend is okay. You should stay here; have some fun with the girls."

"But what about-"

"If she's worse, then I'll let you know straight away. If she wanted you to come here, she would have wanted you to have fun. I'm sure these girls can help with you with your acting dream" Gertrude hugged Demi, seeing she was worried. "Besides, her recovery will be quicker with lots of rest. Horton told us she'd be fine with him. You can come back to my place whenever you want to."

Nodding, Gertrude waved goodbye to the girls and left the penthouse, to when Zoe took her through their home. "Now that you've met me, do you think he'll be given less of hard time for talking to the clover?" Demi asked.

"Yes, hopefully with help from the two of you we'll be able to prove to the other jungle creatures that Whoville does in fact exist. I think between the nine of us we can work something out. In the meantime, how would you like to watch us rehearse?" Skye asked Demi, who was nearly jumping out of her skin with joy. The group smiled, as they headed to back of the house, to where all the performance magic happened.


	4. Trusting the Unknown and Familiar

Good day all!

Just a few things, before we start this chapter. This chapter was written by myself/TheCatsApprentice19, and includes Janine's version of the Wickershams, (Which I hope I have written right. Sorry for any character mistakes!) and also her version of the Cat, all of which have a encounter with Kirsty. A BIG thank you to Athenachild101 for the review; we are so glad you love this story!

_Disclaimer: We don't own Seussical or any of its characters, which belong to Lhynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. We only own our respective OC's, Demi and Kirsty, and Janie owns the names of the Wickershams, which are Zac, Rebecca, Darcy, Hugo and Louie._

Please R&R!

~Janine and Sophie

* * *

**Chapter 4: Trusting the Unknown and ****Familiar**

"Please, if you get any news about Jojo, be sure to let me know! Thank you, Mrs Mayor. I'll talk to you soon!"

Finishing his conversation with the Whos, Horton gently placed the fluffy pink clover back near his bed. Despite some political advances, life in Whoville still wasn't improving, the war still no close to being resolved. In fact, the conflict had further developed and the risk of more recruitment had increased. The whole idea of the Butter Battle confused Horton; what was the need for something that destructive in a place that was supposedly heaven? But then again, even heaven could have problems.

Jojo was still at the military academy, but Mr. and Mrs. Mayor assured the elephant that he would be fine. They had been promised that by General Schmitz himself, and that the academy was the second chance they all needed, but Horton couldn't shake off the feeling that Jojo was suffering without his Thinks, and that that school was changing him, not necessarily for the better. But what could he do up here, when his friend really needed him down there?

Horton moved his attention to the tall, thin body that lay on his spare bed, the girl asleep and breathing slowly. He had been looking after her for the past three days, after finding her and a Who, Demi, one afternoon in the jungle. The condition she was in when he first laid eyes on her wasn't at all natural, but she had seemed to improve, beginning to sleep easy. She had yet to wake up, but that was another matter.

A collection of light coughing and rustling of the sheets made Horton's ears prick, immediately moving silently over to Kirsty. Eyes fluttering slowly, a bright haze of colour all she could see, she began to regain consciousness. Her head still felt dizzy and she struggled to form words. "W-where…"

"It's okay," he hushed, making sure she didn't attempt to sit up just yet. "You're safe now."

Even though her mind was tossed, Kirsty seemed to understand. "Demi-"

"She's fine. She's with Gertrude. I'll bring her over in a little while." Horton put his trunk against her head. "For now, don't push yourself. Do you want some water? You should try and drink something, if you want to get better."

"Okay…" Taking the small glass, she took a few sips of the water, her vision improving slightly from the intake of fluids. She shut her eyes again, the sun blinding her, but she managed to sit up, continuing to sip the water. "Who…who are you?"

Horton was confused by her question, but figured that she must have been in a rough mind state when they first met. "I'm Horton. Horton the Elephant. Would you like a little something to-" He stopped, as Kirsty's eyes flashed fully open.

Her head turned to the elephant, her breathing increasing in speed. _No. This isn't Horton. He's nothing like you. What have you done with him?! _She kept shaking her head, trying to Think a way out of this.

"Hey, are you okay?" When he went to touch her, she immediately moved away. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me." He managed to get a hold of her wrist with his trunk, rubbing it slightly, to try and comfort her.

Unfortunately, his efforts were short lived. "Let me go! I don't know you! Leave me alone!" Kirsty recoiled from his hold, her eyes filled with distress, and ran out of his hut without saying a word. Even though her mind wasn't fully connected with her body, she kept running, trying to escape the mess she had landed herself into. She didn't look back, not even for a second, or stop to rest, even though her legs were sore and her bare feet hurt.

Racing through the whole jungle, everything looked vaguely simular, but completely different to the Nool that she had learnt to know. _Please…I need to find a way out of here…please… _No matter how hard she looked, nothing was what she remembered and the more frightened and anxious she became. After what seemed like hours, she gave in, stopping next to a large fern.

"Why…" That was all she could say, as she desperately tried to Think a way back to the worlds she remembered, the ones she had learned to embrace, with the people she knew and gained a friendship with. Nothing could to mind though, only how out of place she felt, and how much every little detail was making her head spin. She desperately tried to find something to grab onto something to keep balanced, still not fully recovered, but froze, when her hand touched something furry.

"Hey, looks like a little mouse lost its way…"

That voice was unfamiliar to Kirsty, but as she turned around, she quickly discovered who it belonged to. "You looking for something in particular? Or someone?" Two young monkeys stood in front of her, dressed like gangsters. The one who had spoken started to move towards her, which caused Kirsty to step back.

Shaking her head, she tried to stay sure and confident. "No, I'm fine. I'm just-"

"You don't seem familiar. Are you new around here?" the other monkey interrupted, leaning in close to her. Kirsty tried to move, but her feet were seemingly glued to the ground. "How about we give you a little tour of the jungle? What do you think, Hugo?"

"No thank you. Please, if you would just let me through, I'll be on my way." Trying to keep her eyes away from them, she stepped past them, but before she could escape, another monkey blocked her path.

This monkey gave her a sly smirk. "Why the huge rush? You go somewhere to be? If you're looking for fun, we're the best place to be."

Kirsty was becoming extremely uncomfortable. By now, she had guessed that these were the Wickersham brothers. She hadn't met them in person in her version of Seuss, but these versions of the monkeys seemed much more intimidating. "Leave me alone, please!"

"Told you, Zac. Your smile scares all the girls," a small female monkey said, dangling off one of the braches, which she was holding onto with her tail.

The monkey who had blocked her path, who she assumed was called Zac, glared at the female monkey. "At least I try to smile, Rebecca . Still, I think they're cuter when they're scared."

At that moment, another small female monkey came into view, pushing Hugo and the other brother aside. "Feel free to ignore him. I'm Darcey. These three are Hugo, Louie and Zac. And over there is Rebecca. What about you? You have a name? How old are you, anyway?"

"Come on, girl. We're not scary," Louie smiled, his tail weaving itself around her arm. "You look a little hungry. We should take you for a bite to eat. If you're lucky, my brothers won't decide to have you for dessert! What do you say to that?"

"Well, I guess it's time for me to intervene…"

Everyone in the small clearing suddenly became alert, their eyes flashing everywhere to find out where that slightly snide yet childlike voice was coming from. Kirsty whirled around, who didn't at all recognise it, to suddenly hear the same whimsical voice flash through her Thinks.

_When I give the signal, jump. Just jump. And don't look down. Don't worry, you won't miss it. _

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the voice vanished from her mind. Before she could even wonder what it meant, a cloud of red smoke exploded right near where the Wickershams were standing. On cue, Kirsty jumped and a white gloved hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her, just before a sharp, wind-like force surrounded her, pulling the teenager upwards.

Quickly after, the wind subsided; Kirsty was hurled back onto the hard jungle earth, smacking her head against the ground. She gasped for air for a moment, her eyes focused on the clear patched of sky above her, only a few swirly clouds scattered across it.

"You okay, kiddo?"

She shot up, upon the troublesome voice's return. Her eyes darted across the section of the jungle, before they finally landed on the voice's owner.

"Sorry about all that…I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm having fun. Also, don't worry about those monkeys. They'll be fine. They weren't going to hurt you, they were probably bored and looking for someone to trick. Wrong places, wrong times, that's all it was." After fixing his attire, he turned quickly on his heel to face the girl, whose face was currently white with fright.

Standing before her was a cat, slightly shorter than her and dressed in a striped top hat, white gloves and a jaunty red bow tie. His eyes sparkled with a youthful mischief, together with a sly yet playful grin finishing off his mixed yet somehow suiting appearance.

As to be expected, the cat managed to close the momentary silence, going over to the girl and pulling her up. "Now, who do we have here?" Circling her, he viewed her over, occasionally frowning, making Kirsty silently wish that she had at least changed out of her dirty clothes before running off. _I must look like a right mess! He'd think I'm some sort of wild animal, especially when I'm this terrible of a state. _

"Hmm…" He pondered his thoughts for a second, before turning back to face her. "Interesting…I don't believe we have met yet. Who do I have the pleasure?" As he asked the question, his face softened, seeing the girl was still uncomfortable at his presence. "-But of course, names are just labels! What matters is on the inside, isn't it?" he added, moving away from the question. "Or in my case," Tapping his head lightly, he continued. "Up here. "

"How did you do that before? All the smoke and flying and…how was that possible?"

The feline turned, to see that Kirsty was looking his way. "Thinking is a mystical act, kid. The results are as broad as you let them," he said simply. "I'll just leave that to you, shall I?" Suddenly, his head twitched, as if snapping to attention. "Oh dear, I seemed to have forgotten my manners. I am the Cat, the Cat in the Hat. And there is absolutely, positively, no doubt about that!" he announced, tipping his hat to her.

"The Cat…" Somehow, she felt that this wasn't the first time someone had introduced themselves by that name.

After a moment of staring off into nothing, her daze was broken by a face meeting hers. "Yes? Something the matter?"

Quickly, she shook her head, moving a little away. "Oh…that name, I feel like I've heard it before. But that's impossible, we have never met. You even said that yourself."

"Impossible? That's a strange word for a Thinker to say," the Cat asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Kirsty's eyes widened slightly. "How did you-"

"I could tell, from that moment you ran passed me, that you were a Thinker," he cut in, nodding. "Still developing, but a Thinker none the less, with a lot of potential. I'm surprised we've never crossed paths." Kirsty managed a small smile, which vanish on the Cat's following remark. "However, there was one major thing I noticed about your Thinks. They seem awfully crowded." His voice softened, becoming serious. "Looks like you have a lot of unanswered question, some that may not be entirely yours to solve."

"You have no idea," she sighed, before doing a double take. "What? I-I mean… Never mind, it-it's…it's nothing…"

The Cat shook his head "Everything is something, especially when it involves a Thinker." Those words came out so wisely, making Kirsty trust him just that fraction more. "Come on, I may be able to help. I'm always in the mood for a good story!" He sat down on a large log, a large smile appearing on his face.

"I-"

He put a finger to his lip, silencing her protest, before speaking in a kind tone. "One thing people don't know about me; I'm actually a really good listener." Patting the space beside him, he motioned for her to sit beside him. It took a bit of silent convincing, but she ended up slowly sitting down on the edge of the log.

"There are these people I know. We haven't known each other for very long, but it feels as if we have. Lately, my life's taken a hectic turn on its head…I mean, it was pretty crazy before that, but this was completely, impossibly unexpected. Everything was different, but I felt that whatever happened, they would still be the same, as they had been through all the crazy things which had happened before that. But when I found them, they were completely different to how I remembered them." Her voice softened and slowed the further she got through her story, the Cat silently listening in.

After taking a moment to think, the Cat shrugged. "Change is natural. Good or bad, it does happen for a reason. If your friends are as good as they sound, then that doesn't matter. Everyone has their days, when they just need to try something different or just let everything go. No doubt, these 'crazy days' have affected them as well. You just need to give them some time, and some understanding." He gave her a small smile, before placing a paw on her shoulder. "More likely than not, you'll be changing too. These things just need some time, and even though things may not seem like they are going anywhere, trust me when I say this; they are. You just need to trust the changes, whatever may become of them."

Kirsty returned the smile, the two sharing a quiet moment together, which was broken when the Cat muttered. "Good Geisel, what on earth happened there? I sound like some sort of crazy preacher!" A shiver going down his spine, he heard a soft laugh, his head whipping around to see the girl putting a hand to her mouth, as if she was trying to cover the small smile now present on her face.

"So, the creature can smile, eh?" he said, laughing, before he jumped up. "Now, where to? There's so much we can do, so little time!" His face had lighted up, bouncing around the clearing like a small child at Christmas time. "If you want something really exciting, the island of Katroo might be right up your alley. Or the mountains of Zumms, they're beautiful at this time of year. Oh, I know! We could-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't," she cut in, a feeling of guilt filling her upon seeing his overjoyed face turn into one of gloom. It didn't at all suit him, and for that short second, it was as if some of the brightness and colour had been sucked out the world around her. "I really need to try and go back to Horton. I owe him an apology for how I acted towards him this morning, and for scaring him by running off." Her voice remained quiet, those cruel words she had yelled to him circling rapidly around her brain.

The feline nodded his reaction much different from what Kirsty had pictured. "Friend's with the elephant, huh?"

"It's complicated…more like acquaintances, at the moment," she simply said, not knowing how else to describe her situation without revealing her 'parallel world' fiasco.

"Well, the least I can do is show you the way there," the Cat offered. "And don't worry, we'll be walking. It's only a little way's south of here." For the short journey back to Horton's, the two didn't speak to each other, save for the Cat's musical whistling. When they were only a metre or so away, he stopped, insisting that she could make the remainder of the journey on her own. Tipping his hat, he turned on his heel, walking away in the opposite direction.

"Mr Cat?"

He turned back to Kirsty, who hadn't moved from where he had left her. "Perhaps one day you could show me those wonderful things you were talking about?"

"I would love to, kid. Just Think and I'll be there in a wink. Or make a wish! That usually works!"

"By the way, it's Kirsty. Just Kirsty."

"Well, Kirsty, it was a pleasure meeting you." With that, he disappeared, leaving Kirsty alone, with the light tune of the jungle replacing the silence. Taking one last look across the jungle, she went back to Horton's house.

As she quietly came into view, she saw Gertrude. The moment the two locked eyes with each other, the bird ran up to the girl. "Oh, thank goodness! We've been searching everywhere for you!" Gertrude gasped, putting an arm on the girl's shoulder. "You look freezing! Come on, let's get you inside."

When the two were in the house, she could see Horton, looking frantic and anxiously muttering to himself. "This is all my fault! She could be anywhere by now. I should have been more understanding to her situation. If anything happens to her, I'll be the one to blame. I-" Upon hearing footsteps, he turned toward the door and his eyes landed straight on Kirsty.

"You tried your best with a hopeless case, and it was the best anyone could ever do," she told him, moving over to the elephant. "I was scared, and confused, and afraid to trust change, including you. But I'm going to try, and I hope you'll help me."

"Of course I will, Kirsty." Horton put his trunk out to her and after slight hesitation, she took it and he wrapped her in an embrace.

Gertrude watched on, her face glowing with happiness. "Now, we should get you tidied up, and then we can take you over to see Demi. She'll be so happy to see you!"


End file.
